Question about Suite Debarkation on Allure/Oasis

[klove613]

Just off the Allure on Sunday in Suite 11330. Loved it!!

 

It seems from reading recent reviews that suite passengers on Oasis are still getting the escorted walk off, but suite passengers on Allure are being told that they can no longer do it, just walk off when you get ready.

 

I guess I am wondering what the difference is. I assumed that Oasis was no longer doing it as well.

 

Can other recent suite passengers on Allure confirm that this has been their experience. I did not mind making my own way off, but it seems that it should be consistent between these two ships.

Edited April 14, 2016 by klove613

[Ourusualbeach]

Just off the Allure on Sunday in Suite 11330. Loved it!!

 

It seems from reading recent reviews that suite passengers on Oasis are still getting the escorted walk off, but suite passengers on Allure are being told that they can no longer do it, just walk off when you get ready.

 

I guess I am wondering what the difference is. I assumed that Oasis was no longer doing it as well.

 

Can other recent suite passengers on Allure confirm that this has been their experience. I did not mind making my own way off, but it seems that it should be consistent between these two ships.

 

Friends of ours in a suite on Allure said there was no escorted walk off on the March 12 sailing.

 

Consisitancy and Royal are not usually associated together.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Ourusualbeach

[A&L_Ont]

Friends of ours in a suite on Allure said there was no escorted walk off on the March 12 sailing.

 

As well as the 19th of March sailing on on Allure. There was a RC Agent waiting in the suite luggage holding area and she put us into the suite customs line. It was not with the masses.

 

We were on Indy in October and we were escorted off the ship by the concereige right to the luggage. I'm not sure why Allure is different and my two examples are both at Terminal 18.

Edited April 14, 2016 by A&L_Ont

[Ourusualbeach]

As well as the 19th of March sailing on on Allure. There was a RC Agent waiting in the suite luggage holding area and she put us into the suite customs line. It was not with the masses.

 

We were on Indy in October and we were escorted off the ship by the concereige right to the luggage. I'm not sure why Allure is different and my two examples are both at Terminal 18.

 

At least they still expedited you through customs.

[spookwife]

it's a Concierge thing. we have had Concierges escort us via a closed off elevator( including a crew one once.. or rather the one they use to schlep luggage from deck to deck) and have had concierges disappear completely that last morning.

 

have never gotten whisked off to Customs directly though. That would be nice.

[irishgal432]

I just read a review of the Oasis from last week and they were escorted off. Make sure you put that in his survey. In the past, I would always comment on the fabulous service from being in a suite until embarkation.

Edited April 14, 2016 by irishgal432

[Stormy15]

We were a bit late getting off on Navigator in Galveston last August. So, we walked off by ourselves without the concierge. As soon as a porter saw that our luggage tags said suite he took us to the front of the line and said priority, they have priority. He said some weeks there was a suite line and other weeks there wasn't but that suites/pinnacles still had priority. Does anyone know if this is still true in Galveston?

 

 

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[slotmomma3]

I was on the 4/3 sailing of the Allure and was told the same thing about no escort, just walk off yourself. The 2 concierge's were the least accommodating of any we have ever had.

[mark22mac]

I was on the 4/3 sailing of the Allure and was told the same thing about no escort, just walk off yourself. The 2 concierge's were the least accommodating of any we have ever had.

 

We were on the same sailing and I was just talking to my wife about the concierges because i noted it in my review.They had their heads buried in the computer practically the whole time they would not even look up when someone walked into the suite lounge.I didnt know if there was going to be an escort off or not but i didnt want to bother them so i didnt ask.As we made our way off the ship and just before the escalators there was a sign for suite guests to exit out of line and use the elevator then someone in the luggage area took us to our luggage and then put us first in line for customs.So that was a big plus since we got off around 8:30 and it was a little busy.

[klove613]

Thanks everyone for the input! I suspected that it was more about the concierges and not a new RCI policy. I agree that they were very frequently on the computer and not bothering to greet guests. It did not impact my trip, but I have had some fabulous concierges in the past and these two did not measure up.

[Melozone]

We were on the same sailing and I was just talking to my wife about the concierges because i noted it in my review.They had their heads buried in the computer practically the whole time they would not even look up when someone walked into the suite lounge.I didnt know if there was going to be an escort off or not but i didnt want to bother them so i didnt ask.As we made our way off the ship and just before the escalators there was a sign for suite guests to exit out of line and use the elevator then someone in the luggage area took us to our luggage and then put us first in line for customs.So that was a big plus since we got off around 8:30 and it was a little busy.

 

We were on the Allure last year out of Italy. If it is the same concierges as then, they were worthless. They would not look up from their computers to answer our questions. They did nothing for us at all. We are going back on again in June. I won't get my hopes up. It's sad because we have had some great ones!

[Spurschick]

it's a Concierge thing. we have had Concierges escort us via a closed off elevator( including a crew one once.. or rather the one they use to schlep luggage from deck to deck) and have had concierges disappear completely that last morning.

 

have never gotten whisked off to Customs directly though. That would be nice.

 

Not entirely true for Allure. They had been escorting off until recently. They then advised that an incident had occurred and until further notice they were no longer allowed to escort guests off. Not their decision but a directive handed down to them.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Spurschick

[crusinthrough]

Not entirely true for Allure. They had been escorting off until recently. They then advised that an incident had occurred and until further notice they were no longer allowed to escort guests off. Not their decision but a directive handed down to them.

 

 

If there was an incident that was severe enough to cause service to be reduced, cause a directive to be written and subsequently handed down wouldn't it apply to all ships and not just the Allure? Why would the Allure be different? I think this is what the OP wants to know.

[Norway2]

That is sad, as it was one of the perks listed when we booked. Do they give you a time to get off like everyone else or do you just walk off when you want? Just curious as I am leaving in a month on Allure.

[Surfguyxxx]

Diamond Plus member which means nothing but we're in a suite (not junior) this coming August and would like to know if this "perk" is available. Consistency is the key to any business, especially in operating rooms where I work. Curious to see what happens:confused:

[A&L_Ont]

Diamond Plus member which means nothing but we're in a suite (not junior) this coming August and would like to know if this "perk" is available. Consistency is the key to any business, especially in operating rooms where I work. Curious to see what happens:confused:

 

There was a RC Agent waiting in the suite luggage holding area and she put us into the suite customs line. It was not with the masses.

 

We were on Indy in October and we were escorted off the ship by the concereige right to the luggage. I'm not sure why Allure is different and my two examples are both at Terminal 18.

 

Surfguyxxx, I'm on the same sailing as you in August. We will not be escorted off this ship, unless the policy or decree from above changes. If we know anything about RC, they are consistent at being inconsistent.;)

[Spurschick]

If there was an incident that was severe enough to cause service to be reduced, cause a directive to be written and subsequently handed down wouldn't it apply to all ships and not just the Allure? Why would the Allure be different? I think this is what the OP wants to know.

 

All I know was there had been some recent reviews shortly before our sailing where people had stated they had indeed been escorted off the Allure. Then about 2 weeks before we sailed someone posted there had been an incident and until further notice they were not escorting off.

 

Once onboard we enquirer about midway through the cruise and were given the exact same explanation. Without the full story we don't know if this was a directive by customs or a decision made onboard. But their story was consistent.

 

Our experience was one of the concierges was better than the other. They always assisted if asked.

[Spurschick]

That is sad, as it was one of the perks listed when we booked. Do they give you a time to get off like everyone else or do you just walk off when you want? Just curious as I am leaving in a month on Allure.

 

We were given priority suite tags. We just walked right off when we wanted. As we walked off we asked which way for suites. There was a lady that directed us down a seperate escalator. It took us to a suite line and we by-passed the regular queue and took us right to the front. All suite cases were in a section by the suite line.

[klove613]

If there was an incident that was severe enough to cause service to be reduced, cause a directive to be written and subsequently handed down wouldn't it apply to all ships and not just the Allure? Why would the Allure be different? I think this is what the OP wants to know.

 

Yes exactly this. If Oasis suite passengers can still be escorted off, why not Allure suite passengers? It just makes no sense.

[riclop]

There is no escorted walk off.

[stevekc]

Last October we were escorted off the Oasis with a large group of other suite passengers that had gathered in the suite lounge and then taken on two dedicated elevators down and off the ship right to the customs agents.

There were two times that had been designated for the service, (priority departure) the night before in our cabin.

 

Then we were on the Allure in February and I didn't receive a notice in our cabin and I went to the concierge lounge and asked Ana (the current concierge) about the service.

She indicated they had a problem with the port personnel or something that was not real clear.

I told her about the fabulous service on the Oasis and she just shrugged and said Allure wasn't able to offer it any longer. Hmm. same port terminal, same class ship?

I then asked her what the long term plans were, because priority departure is an advertised benefit of the new Royal Suites program?

She shrugged again and said they were working on it but she was uncertain.

 

After reading many posts about the lackluster service from the concierges on the Allure I have to say that I'm wondering if the decision to offer this service is dependent upon willing participation by the concierges?

This was our second time on the Allure and both times the service from the concierges was apathetic.

Everyone has really identified a theme that they always seem to sit and busy themselves with their computers all the time.

I hope that for everyone's sake in the suite lounges that the service improves greatly.

Perhaps the individuals in these positions need to attend training at some of the finer hotels to learn what it truly means to be a "concierge".

Just my opinion.

Steve

[Royal2464]

The escort service is still being provided on the Oasis. We received notice last night that it will be provided at two times tomorrow morning, 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. Whatever the problem is with the Allure it must be something ship specific. That's unfortunate, the escort through the long lines in the terminal is truly a great gold card benefit.

[Dr. Pam]

On our cruise From March 26-April 2, we had the most amazing concierge, Claudine! She could not do enough for her guests and her memory was razor sharp! WOW! Regarding the suite departure with the concierges, we were given another paper insert in our Cruise Compass re: departure outlining this option. IT was for a departure either at 7:45 or 8:30 Am. We were asked to phone our suite concierge and let them know how many would be joining them and at what time. I did this immediately as it seemed there may have been the possibility that the numbers might be limited. (Not sure, however). On departure day, we were asked to put our suite departure tags on our luggage and meet 5-10-minutes before the designated time in the Champagne Lounge. On our way, we met many non-suite passengers that tried to tell us to head to the back of the line which snaked around in the promenade and then back up the stairs and snaked around on the next floor. We did make our way to the Champagne Lounge where we were met by the concierges and our name was checked off the list. We waited a couple of minutes and then the concierges and an officer escorted us off the ship, into the terminal (where other guests were told to step to the side so that we could the escalator) and then we were directed to 2 Custom officer lines that were open only to us ( suite guests ). Absolutely no line-ups and a totally painless exit from our stellar week! I did sense a bit of questioning (a.k.a not happy) looks from other non-suites guests whom I am sure had been waiting a very long time. (Btw, we had put out a couple of our suitcases the evening before and we were directed to a suite area in the terminal where our luggage was quickly found. ) Everything proceeded so quickly, it was fantastic. I hope that all Royal Caribbean ships will have this service for suite guests in the future!

 

Pam

[George C]

The escort service is still being provided on the Oasis. We received notice last night that it will be provided at two times tomorrow morning, 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. Whatever the problem is with the Allure it must be something ship specific. That's unfortunate, the escort through the long lines in the terminal is truly a great gold card benefit.

 

WE really like being escorted off on last cruise, do not understand why RCCL policy seems to change from week to week and ship to ship. I may or may not book a few more cruises on my cruise next week depending how the cruise and perks go.

[NYDee]

We were on the April 3 sailing. We were told we could leave anytime after 6:30 am. We could get continental breakfast in Suite Lounge. We left early and enjoyed not waiting around for others.